July's Fully Finished Objects

Thank you Rachel for hosting another opportunity for us to share our finishes. Pop over to Rachel's blog Ten Hour Stitcher to find the links to everyone's FFO posts.

I only have one finish this month but it's a very special one. Over 15 years ago I took part in a Round Robin and my piece was about the beach with the idea to make a bag.

Of course that didn't happen and the lovely cross stitch has stayed in my drawer since. A few weeks ago we all went on holiday to Turkey, an early celebration for my upcoming big birthday. 

What better time to finish my bag. The hardest bit was making the cross stitch into the front and back panels. I also added a row of red backstitch to pull the colours together.

It took three days as I did a bit and then left it as I was quite worried about rushing and getting it wrong. I'm not very good when you have to stitch something the wrong way as it will be turned.

Anyway the bag was made, I love it and it received praise from others whilst we were away.

These are the two Round Robin panels.

And this is my fabulous bag

It's fully lined with boxed sides. I might make another but just using two fabrics as it was the panelling that took the time, mainly the calculations.

We had a nice time in Turkey, it was very hot but unfortunately our son-in-law, daughter and son's girlfriend became ill on the second day and ended up in hospital overnight. In fact we all stayed at the hospital as it was quite a worry. We have no idea what caused it, not food poisoning as our son and ourselves were not ill, nor anyone at the hotel.

My lovely hubby, our daughter, me, our son, his girlfriend & our son-in-law

We didn't manage a celebration meal but did manage to have four days making lots of memories and with some very special moments. I'm just so glad everyone was OK and we do have plenty of time to celebrate here.

Gifted Gorgeousness June

Yesterday was Father's Day and also the 15th so it is Gifted Gorgeousness time hosted by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching a lovely chance to share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted

I've shared these gifts already in this month's Fully Finished Objects post. The coasters were for our daughter and her hubby as they have moved into their first house, the bookmark for a friend and the name plaque for our daughter's best friend's second daughter (I stitched one for her first daughter when she was born).

My other gifts are all re-gifted. I stitched them for my family and now they are back with me. I have had some in the attic for a while but I have redone our spare bedroom and they are all now on display, although some have been reframed. 

The Veteran Motors was a gift I stitched for my grandfather in 1998 to celebrate his 90th birthday, he worked in the motor industry in Coventry, retiring from Rolls Royce in the 1970s.

What is this life was my Dad's favourite poem and I stitched this for his 80th birthday in 2006. It was originally in a gold frame on his lounge wall but I have reframed it to match the cars and the following two stitchings.

These two were for my Mum, one for Mother's Day the other for her 75th birthday in 201. They were in plain silver frames in Mum's craft room but they are now in matching frames in our front room. 

It's lovely to have these hanging up again instead of being in the attic. I remember stitching these and gifted them, it's nice they are gifted back to me now. 

I'm so pleased with our spare bedroom now as it has so many family items passed onto me, although it is sad my family members are not with us anymore but I love looking at theses items that remind me of them.

The yacht and flag's picture was my dad's, with Mum's two pictures next to it. The pink vase was my grandmothers and the dried flowers are from our daughters wedding. The biscornu is one I stitched as part of a SAL with Needlecraft Haven, Iris was my grandmother's name so it fits there perfectly. The blue dish was a 10th wedding anniversary gift from my Dad and I've put some shells saved from the beach in Wales where we used to have a holiday caravan. The room is full of gifts from me and to me, it's feels a very peaceful room. 

Thanks for visiting to see my GG posts, as usual |I am stitching another gift at the moment but it won't be ready for a while yet. 

June's Fully Finished Objects

Thank you Rachel for hosting another opportunity for us to share our finishes. Pop over to Rachel's blog Ten Hour Stitcher to find the links to everyone's FFO posts.

I have a very special finish to share this month, our daughter and son-in-law have moved into their first house. When then moved into their apartment I stitched two coasters (link to my previous post) so it seemed appropriate to stitch two more.

I decided not to do cross stitch but embroidery. I drew the design on squared paper and used it as a guide although embroidery does not really follow straight lines. I was so pleased with how they turned out and the new home owners liked them.

I also finished a bookmark for my friend who needed a bit of a hug. My stitchy friend Julie gifted me the bookmark chart, it was a kit she had stitched with lots of threads unused so she passed it on. I had some aida band in my stash and just added a row on the left to make it fit.

I also finished this name plaque for our daughter's best friend's little girl. I stitched one for her first daughter Orlagh,  our daughter is her Godmother, so I wanted to stitch one for Innes too. The design is by Durene Jones and was in a magazine many years ago. I have used it many times changing the letter characters to suit, there's rabbits, cats and butterflies on some letters but I swapped them to be all girls. Orlagh was so pleased her little sister has her name too,  I do my gift stitching to make others smile and that really made me smile.

You'll see these projects again soon in my GG post for June, I will have some special gifts to show too.

Gifted Gorgeousness in May

Gifted Gorgeousness time hosted by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching a lovely chance to share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

We've had new ladders put in to access our loft making it easier for us, especially me. The plan is to have a good clear out but a bit at a time. So far I have sorted all my old frames and cross stitch, I have quite a few to put up but I'll share those another time. These have now been gifted (regifted) to our children. 

I did the Christmas tree names many years ago, I probably have the charts in a box in the attic somewhere. It's not so clear upright but they are our children's names, Michael and Philippa, and are being passed back for them to keep. 

The owl is something my Mum stitched for us and it has been on our walls but not for many years. Our son and his girlfriend are now the guardians of Mr Owl.

It has recently been the Spring/Easter Exchange at Needlecraft Haven. My gifts were from Julie and she also gifted me these kits that still have plenty of thread in. I have found some bookmark aida in my stash and have nearly finished the bookmark already, I only needed to find one length of blue, probably because I doubled the left hand border to fit my fabric, just shows how much extra thread is in a kit.

For the exchange Julie stitched a beautiful hanging spring ornament, such a delicate hanger. My exchange parcel also included some Spring themed threads, a card, some Spring candles and although I didn't choose Easter as my preference Julie sent some Easter chocolates and a card - a lovely exchange, thank you Julie.

My exchange went to Gill who had no preference to her theme but I chose Spring as I have been wanting to stitch this chart for ages, it's one of my magazine page saves from years ago. It was lovely to stitch and fun to make up. I included some matching colour threads and Easter chocolates.

A good month for gifts, given & received. I have a few more I hope to give them soon so I'll share next time.

May's Fully Finished Objects

 Thank you Rachel for hosting another opportunity for us to share our finishes. Pop over to Rachel's blog Ten Hour Stitcher to find the links to everyone's FFO posts.

You may have seen this in my April Gifted Gorgeousness post but I stitched this bookmark for my step dad's birthday. It was a kit gifted to me so it felt good to gift the finished piece.

April 20th was Needlecraft Haven's Spring/Easter Exchange, we chose which design we would like. My partner didn't mind which but as I have been wanting to stitch this design for many years I thought I'd do spring. I have a few folders of old magazine charts that I would like to do, easier than keeping the whole magazine each time but there are certainly more filled folders than time I will have to stitch,

I'll share more details of our exchange in my GG post for May. I haven't been stitching much and what I have stitched are for gifts yet to be given but hopefully this month and next I'll be able to share. 

I'm hoping my stitching increases too as I no longer pick up a needle every night and I'm not sure why, I'm sure life will work it all out for me one way or an other. 

Gifted Gorgeousness April 2025

Yesterday was the 15th so it is Gifted Gorgeousness time hosted by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching a lovely chance to share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted

My stitching is certainly slower this year and I'm not sure why. I have some new glasses coming so maybe they will help.

Anyway this is a double GG as I received this lovely bookmark kit from Gill. I like a tudor rose design, this looked lovely.

And so I stitched it for my step-dad's birthday as he's an avid reader.

I do have some projects on the go and hopefully will have more to share next month.

April's Fully Finished Objects

Many years ago ... probably 10 or even 15 these were a Round Robin and they have been in the drawer ever since.

I finally had some frames made and have now fully finished them. They are hanging in the conservatory. I might have Autumn and Spring charts somewhere but I have no immediate plans to do them too.

I stitched these years ago... yep more left in a drawer. I went off them as they do not start with capital letters but as I've stitched them it seems a shame not to show them so I had a small frame made to match my other monthly piece and I will change them each month too.

I have cut them to the frame size and used interfacing to back them so they don't fray. I keep them in a drawer between being in the frame so they are kept flat.

It is 40 years ago today I met my Hubby. I was in the Hawthorn Tree pub in Coventry in my Scout Leader's uniform selling raffle tickets 😊

Why do I remember it so clearly 🤔

Because not only did Nick buy a ticket (and in my opinion win first prize 😉) but it was the start of our many adventures, the first being to Lynmouth which we revisited last week 🥰

We would never have guessed back then what a super family we'd have and how many memories we'd make ❤️ 

Here's our first kiss and recent reenactment with the hotel which is now apartments. I have put a few more photos on Facebook 

I don't know where 40 years has gone but I do know I have lots of happy memories.